Oil-dispensing apparatus



Sept. 4, 1928.

G. A. BROWN OIL DISPENSING APPARATUS Fil 7 2 9 l 5: IT. p e s INVENTOR 650555 A BROWN HTTOPNQV-S 1,683,021 BRowN 2 Sfieets-She et 2 f N VEN TOR GEORGE/4. BROWN Sept. 4, 1928;

OIL DISPENSING APPARATUS Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

GEORGE A. BROWN, 01' ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

OIL-DISPENSING APPARATUS.

Application filed Septeinber 8, 1927. Serial No. 217,405.

This invention relates to improvements in truck tanks principally used for delivering gasoline to service stations.

Objects of the invention are to provide a a tank in which no drain faucets, valves or pipes,'beneath the tank, are used; to provide siphon means in lieu of such drain pipes and faucets for emptying the tank; to provide means for preventing such overflow in the o delivery line of the tank as might create a fire hazard; to provide means for equalizing pressures between the siphon tube and tank, either as the result of expansion of the liquid when heated or when air pressure is 5 applied to obtain siphon action; to provide a tank having a plurality of compartments; to provide means accessible from one end of the tank for separately operating the siphon means in each compartment; to arrange such means to be locked by the same device; to provide means for creating a pressure within the tank to initiate siphon action; to provide a pressure relief valve; to provide an air intake valve which opens inwardly admitting air and permitting out-flow of the liquid; to

provide means whereby the'tank can be completely emptied; and generally to provide a reinforced rigid structure which will withstand all the strains to which the device is put 0 in vuse.

Other objects are to provide means whereby no leakage from the tank can take place under any ordinary conditions 'of use, or when the tank is overturned. This is a valuable feature of the invention'because leakage under almost every conditioni is a fire hazard.

Features of the invention include all the constructions, combinations and sub-combinations of the elements, including means whereby the device is automaticallyconditioned' for siphon action upon 0 ening of valves in the delivery line, along with mechanism for operating these two valves simultaneously.

. Objects, features and advantages of .the invention will be set forth in the description of the drawings forming a part of this application and in saiddrawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a plural compartment tank, each compartment being equipped with one of the devices claimed herein; i

Figure 2 is a cross section through one of the compartments;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail section of the valve and valve operating mechanismsviewed in a manner similar to that of Figure 2, and showing the inner valve open;

Figure 4 is a view showing the inner valve closed, and showing the pivots of the links vertically aligned; and

Figure 5 is a plan section on line 5-5 of Figure 4. I

T The numeral 1 designates a tank which in this instance is divided by partitions into compartments. The bottom of each compartment has a drain sump 5 covered by a suitable strainer member 6.

Inasmuch as the mechanisms for all tanks are the same only one mechanism will be described in detail.

In order to dispense with the use of faucets, and of piping beneath the tank, and to generally reduce leakage" to the minimum, a siphon device is provided by means of which oil is delivered upwardly and outwardly from the top of the tank, lnto the service or delivery pipe, by siphon action, alone, except that this action is initiated by tank pressure. To this end, I provide a tube vertically arranged and having its lower end passing through strainer member 6 and arranged in the drain sump 5. The upper end of this pipe is threaded and the threads are en a ed with a couplin 12 as a valve stop. ith the coupling 12 is engaged a nipple 13 in turn threaded into a collar 14 of the tank, and having openings 15 or having a single port. a

The series of radially arranged openings 15 function to equalize pressures between tank and pipe. To obtain siphon action, it is necessary to close the openm s 15 in some manner, and for this purpose provide a weighted valve .16, which is limited in open position b the coupling 12. This valve, as a collar or slbeve, is provided with trunnions 18 with which are engaged the corresponding termlnal forks 19 of the arms of the lever 20. The lever 20 is suitably pivoted intermediately at 21, in this instance to a bracket dependlng from the top inner side of the tank The lever, at that side of its pivot opposite the valve 16, is bored, and a link traverses the bore and'is threaded to receive adjustable stops. The stop 27 engages the threads above the lever, and a stop 30 enga es the threads therebelow. The shank of t e link loosely traverses the lever 20 The link 25 passes through a suitable bush1ng32, and has its upper end pivotally connected as at 26 to a link 34 which in turn is pivotally connected as at 35 with a crank arm 36 in turn secured to a tubular crank operating element 38 which is suitably j ournaled in brackets and extends rearwardly of the tank and is provided with an operating lever 39. The rear end of the element 38 is supported by a bracket 40 and extends rearwardly through this bracket to receive the arm 39. For each compartment a valve operating element similar to 38 is provided. Only two compartments have been illustrated and, therefore, only two valve operating elements have been shown, the second being designated 41. Both are tubular and pass through one another, the element 41 being of the smaller diameter and passing through and being rotatably supported by the element 38. An operating lever for the element 41 is indicated at 50. In this way all the operating levers are accessible from one position. The levers, when in their inoperative position, which corresponds to a closed position of the outer valve, lie in parallel relation and are locked by opposingly related arms 52 hinged at one end to the bracket 40 and brought together and padlocked as at 53, thus securing the levers in inoperative position, either against accidental displacement or tampering.

' lever 60 is mounted on and movable by the tubular element 38, and this lever 60 is connected by a link 61 with the operating handle or lever-62 of a quick opening throttle valve, the casing of which is indicated at 65,

and which is connected at its lower side'to nlgple 66, and is thus in communication'with tu e 10. The handle or lever 62 passes through suitable bushings in the casing and has at its opposite end secured a valve member 64 which carries the double wedge disks, engaging with the tapered seats. This is a preferred form of valve but its construction orms no part of the present invention. It simply controls outlet from the tube 10. This valve is connected on that side opposite the nipple 14 with anipple' 67 as part of a standard swivel elbow generally indicated at 68, the construction of thiselbow forms no art of the present invention. The delivery ose o'r p'pe isconnected directly to the free end of this elbow or coupling.

Fusible plugs 70 fill vent openings. The

plugs are arranged diametrically in pairs.

hreeof theplugs being arranged in the sides of each tank compartment proper and the fourth being arran ed in the bottom of the dram sump. A sa etyblow-ofl valve 72 is provided at the top of each compartment and an air inlet'check valve 73 is also provided.

Fluid under compression is introduced into each com artment through a'valve 75. The construction of this valve 75 is not shown. It may be of any preferred type, such as a tire valve; A filler opening 76 for each com- 77, and a partment is closed by a suitable cag ller openthe invention includes means by which if the outer valve is inadvertently lft open, it will be automatically closed as the result of motions of the vehicle upon which the tank is mounted.' For this purpose, the. lever 36 is provided with a projection 37 which engages laterally against the link 34 to limit movement of the links in a direction toward the left as viewed in Figure 4. The element 36 engages in such a manner that when the outer valve is completely open the axis of rotation of the elements 38 and 41, the axis of the pivot 35, and axis of the pivot 26, will be vertically aligned. It will thus be seen that any force acting to slightly disalign the pivot 35 in a direction towards the right as viewed in Figure 4, will permit the weighted sleeve valve to act in a manner to continue this disalignment toward the right, and eventually cause the links to assume the position shown in Figure 3 in which the outer valve is closed. Therefore, the outer valve inad vertently left open cannot long remain so, after the vehicle is in motion.

The device thus provides means whereby is upside down, or in any position in which gravity can act on the inner valve, the inner valve will be closed and the outer valve opened. Therefore, when the tank is in upright position and the outer valve is closed by hand, the valve which controls the vent openings in the siphon tube will be exposed or opened, in this instance by the downward movement of the valve. if when the tank is in upright position, on a vehicle and if the operator should fail to close the outer valve, the toggle lock will be broken by the natural joggling motion of the vehicle with the result that the weighted in'nervalve willfall andcause the outer valve to close. What may be termed a foolroof construction is thus provided which wil prevent emptying-of the tank when it is overturned; will prevent leaking of the tank,

through the delivery pipeat all times; and will cause thetank to be automatically vented through the delivery pipes 10, if overturned.

The tanks of the present type are ordinarily mounted upon atruckchassis, Figure 2 shows a view of one way of mounting. Inasmuch as the mounting forms no part of the inventlOIl, v the elements are not described in detai On the other hand.

withdr aw some of compressed air through of one of the tubular members, either 38 or of the tank, il, and open the outer valve 65. This causes e discharge from 10, takes place.

is fully open, the axis of the 38 and 41,

Furthermore,

is alwa s obtained when the outer valve is in brational motion of the pivot 1,683,021 Operation. and above the intake end of the tube, a valve for controlling the discharge through the The compartments of the tank having] een tube at the outer side of the tank, a va ve to filled, let it be supposed that we wis o close the port, and connections between he valves whereby valve to open the port lose.

5. A tank having a siphon tube traversing said tube havliquid. We first create a compartment by introduction the coupling 75. d within the tank an ithe ne 0' cause rotation 39, is operated to sleeve valve to close the equalizorts 15. S' ted an so It will be noted that when the outer valve tubular elements the axis of the pivot'35, an t e axis oi the pivot 26 are aligned vertically. i will be noted that the stop the link 34 so that this alignment li iiks connecting it with said first mentione link and with said outer valve, the arrangement being such that when the outer valve is manually moved to open position, the inner valve closes the port and the arrangement r'urther being such that the weight 0 he d automatically 37 engages inner valve opens the port an closes the outer valve.

6. A tank having as the sole means for its wi e open the sleeve valve is in nism is thus positione so that it the operator fails to close the. outer emptying it, a siphon tube having its intake of the vehicle will cause one end adjacent the bottom of the tank and havcome disaligned, ing its delivery end projecting through and that is the poin 35, and when this happens, above the tank, said pipe having a port withthe weight of the sleeve valve will operate to in the tank adjacent that side of the tank ositively automatically close the outer valve. which is normally uppermost, a valvefor con- 1 claim as my invention: trolling discharge throu h the t be at the 1. A tank having a siphon outer side of the tank, delivery end projecting able valve adapted to close the port, having a port within nections between the valve, suc i t k d action of gravity of the inner valve to 0 en the discharge throu h the port will cause the outer valve to 0 side of the tank, a va ve for closing said port, and such that when the tank is upturne and connections between gravity action of the inner val action of. the inner port will open the outer valve.

7. A tank having as the sole means for emptying it, a siphon tube having its intake k end adjacent the bottom of the tank and having its delivery end projecting through an above the tank, said pipe having a port with- 110 in the tank adjacent that side of the tank which is normally uppermost, a valve for controlling discharge through the tube at the outer side oi the tank, an inner gravity operd to close the port, and

able valve adapte ween the valve such that. the

tube having its k, an

within the tank tank is relieved.

lots

having a port within the tank adjacent that port and cause the outer valve to 0 wall of the tank opposite the intake end of the whereby when the tank is upturned the tube, a valve for controlling dischar e gravity action of the inner valve to close opthrough the tube at the outer side of the tan erates the outer valve to 0 en it. v a an inner sleeve valve slidable upon the tube In witness whereof, I a-ve hereunto set and of substantial weight, and arranged to my hand this 29th day of Au st, 1927.

. GEORGE BROWN.

open and close the port, and connections be- 

